As has become customary, it is increasingly common to see products from this American company on stages all over our country, not to mention the rest of the world. This California-based company, located on Lunar Court in the city of Oxnard, got its start in 1972 under Don Lombardi (president of the DW empire) and John Good (vice president).
As I was saying, in '72 these two good gentlemen decided that what they loved most in life was drums, and they set to work building accessories for percussionists and drummers, trying to create pieces of great quality and durability, such as the revolutionary and superb CAMCO pedal, which DW named the DW 5000 and which, many years ago, we could also buy in our stores under the Tama label, specifically under the name Camco.
This happened in 1977, and with it came the fever to stand out in the difficult world of building drums, hardware and pedals. It was in 1979 that DW introduced its first drum kit to the public in a well-known magazine, with its first official endorser at the time, drummer Nick Ceroli. But it must be said that all this came about from their eagerness to have their own products to use at the drum school they had set up years earlier (1972), which in '78 was replaced by a drum factory.
In 1980, DW introduced the chain-drive pedal, and it was such a success that in 1982 they had to move to a larger site because demand was enormous. That was when they began to experiment more seriously with complete drum kits. Nowadays, DW is an absolutely established brand as one of the big ones, one of the best, and it proves it with products like the snare I am about to describe.
Collector's Maple Shell 14x4" snare
For me, this is a great size for a snare. Why? Because it is shallow enough to be a perfect snare for playing funk, but at the same time sturdy enough to stand up to the hardest hits without flinching. The DW Collector's Series offers a wide catalog of snares, built from 100% North American maple or from bronze or brass. The size catalog is as follows:
Maple models
10x6", 12x5", 13x5", 14x4", 14x5",14x6.5",14x7",14x8",14x10",15x4" and 15x5"
Bronze models
In bronze there is somewhat less availability: 14x5",14x6" and 14x7".
Brass models
14x4",14x5" and 14x6.5"
The snare I am showing you is a 14x4" maple model finished in tobacco stain and built from 10 plies of maple for the shell plus 6 plies for the top and bottom reinforcement hoops.
Its features
It is so powerful that it is very easy to use in any musical style thanks to its versatility; this particular model, the Collector's, is one of the most sought-after and popular snares of the last thirty years of music history.
But where does the success of these snares come from? Very simple: obviously not from their price, which is quite high, but from their extremely high quality and sturdiness and, why not say it, from fashion itself. Why do I mention fashion? Because if we look back, about 15 years or so, it was very hard to find one of these snares in our country, but little by little, through music videos, endorsers, the records of some trendy bands (especially in the golden age of grunge) and the arrival of specialized magazines in the sector, we became more aware of this product, previously unknown in Spain, and at the same time we all became interested in learning more about its sound and construction, until we were finally able to own something from this brand.
Its sound
Getting back to it, I have to tell you how this snare sounds, and the best thing is to repeat my words and add a few symbols to say it better.......
Wow, does this snare sound good!!!! Yes, the sound is truly striking, not because of its tone itself (which is already spectacular) but because of everything the product brings with it.
The snare sounds clean, crystal-clear, powerful, very powerful, with beautiful overtones and perfect snare-wire adjustment.
One of the things that most sets DW apart from other brands is precisely the tuning range it offers, simply because of something as basic as having tension rods that are longer than usual, so we can give them more turns to tighten the head until it is as hard as a board, or leave it looser without fear of it loosening dangerously for our head.
Conclusions
In short, DW has made and will continue to make superb snares. Today DW is one of the most in-demand brands on the planet, and it has not fallen into the trap of becoming a very popular, very elite brand only to then lower the quality of its creations while keeping prices high. So, if the world's forests allow it, we will have extremely high-quality snares and drum kits for many years to come.
